I wish it were possible to simply delegate cybersecurity to the “big guys.” Why not just let the government and big companies handle it?

If only it were that easy. While it is essential for the government and big companies to protect their own infrastructure and do all they can to help consumers, it’s also up to all of us to protect our own networks and devices — and that includes families.

Not only will basic security precautions and device “hygiene” protect you and your family, it will help protect the rest of us too. It’s like public health. If you don’t get a flu-shot, you’re putting me at risk, because if you get sick, you might pass it on to others. Security flaws, too, can be infectious. You can pass them on to people you interact with directly, or your machine could unwittingly be recruited into a malicious army that attacks millions of other devices.

Even if laws and corporate practices could protect us against malware and hacks, there is nothing officials could possibly do keep people from using poor passwords, failing to use PINs on mobile devices or refraining from clicking on bogus links and compromising their user credentials to phishing attacks.

My colleagues and I at ConnectSafely.org just published “A Parents’ Guide to Cybersecurity” (www.ConnectSafely.org/security), a free booklet that provides information on how to protect devices and home networks and answers parents’ top questions. For instance, children can be caught by the same kinds of security problems that affect adults. But there are some special ways criminals get to kids, such as links to “fan sites” that contain malicious links or “free stuff,” messages that look like they’re from friends, offers of free music or movies, ringtones or anything else a child might be tempted to download. Also, kids are particularly vulnerable to identity theft because they have clean credit records.

The guide also provides advice on how to talk with your kids about security, how to protect your family’s computers and mobile devices and why it’s so important to use strong, secure and unique passwords.

And, as my ConnectSafely.org co-director Anne Collier pointed out in a blog post about kids and cybersecurity (connectsafely.org/ cybersecurity-kids-concerned), kids love videos (often the source of malicious links) and kids need to protect their social media and smartphone passwords to make sure others don’t break in and impersonate them (a form of bullying).

October is National Cyber Security Month. The campaign is part of Stay Safe Online, the coalition of companies, organizations and government agencies beyond the Stop Think Connect campaign which, according to executive director Michael Kaiser, encourages consumers to “stop and make sure you’ve taken the safety security precautions you should have (and) think about the consequences of your actions and behaviors to protect you against phishing or posting inappropriate content.”

Larry Magid’s technology column appears Wednesdays in the Daily News. Email can be sent to larry@larrymagid.com.